Aucasaurus
| image = Aucasaurus running 01 by 2ndecho-d51qjx3.png|thumb | image_caption = An artist's illustration of Aucasaurus garridoi | image_width = 240px | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Sauropsida | clade1 = Dinosauria | superordo = Theropoda | genus = Aucasaurus | genus_authority = Coria, Chiappe & Dingus, 2002 | species = A. garridoi | binomial = Aucasaurus garridoi | binomial_authority = Coria, Chiappe & Dingus, 2002|familia = Abelisauridae}} Aucasaurus was a medium-sized carnivorous theropod from the family known as the abelisaurids and lived in Argentina, South America during the Late Cretaceous. Discovery Aucasaurus is not a very well-known dinosaur. However, it's quite famous in the paleontology universe because the skeleton that we kn ow this theropod from is the most complete of any abelisaurid. It was first discovered in the badlands of Argentina in 1999 but wasn't officially named until three paleontologists named Coria, Chiappe, and Dingus came up with the name Aucasaurus, meaning "Auca lizard", after the place it was first found in. Currently we have only one specimen of this rare theropod but the fact that it's nearly intact helps us piece together a lot about it. One interesting feature about the specimen found in Patagonia was its skull. It seemed to have been damaged shortly before it died. It's not quite known what may have been the cause of this but most scientists agree that it was likely caused by two Aucasaurus that were fighting and this specific specimen was bitten on the face and likely died shortly after. Description Aucasaurus is an abelisaurid closely related to Carnotaurus and Majungasaurus. ''It grew to be about 4.3 metres (14.1 ft) long and is said to weigh 1,500 lbs. This makes it quite small compared to other abelisaurids and theropods, since its close relative ''Carnotaurus grew to be about 30 feet (9 meters) long and nearly 3 tons in weight. It is depicted as a pack hunter, hunting dinosaurs like Saltasaurus. The name Aucasaurus comes from the words: "Auca" after the site of its discovery, Auca Mahuevo, and "Sauros" which means lizard. It likely fed on small to medium-sized sauropods like Saltasaurus, and was a second predator after the carnosaurs like Giganotosaurus, Mapusaurus, and Tyrannotitan. It had long, sturdy legs and very short arms that were deemed close to useless. They were so small in fact that it's debated whether or not it even had fingers at all! Its skull was somewhat short, but was boxy and thick, suggesting it had powerful jaws. It's teeth were also very thick and durable, like most abelisaurids, and were perfectly designed for ripping off chunks of flesh from carcasses. In the Media ]] Aucasaurus was Featured in the documentary Dinosaur Planet, and the main one was a sub-adult Male named Dragonfly, who constantly harassed and was eventually killed by a young Saltasaurus named Alpha, mimicking the injury seen in the type specimen. Gallery Aucasaurus/Gallery External links Websites: * Aucasaurus at Wikipedia * http://ageofdinosaurs.com/dinosaurs/aucasaurus.htm * http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/a/aucasaurus.html * http://novataxa.blogspot.com/2012/11/2002-aucasaurus-garridoi.html Documentaries: Dinosaur Planet Category:Carnivores Category:Abelisaurs Category:Saurischia Category:Apex predators Category:Large Carnivores Category:Cretaceous Dinosaurs Category:Cretaceous animals Category:Cretaceous Period Category:Archosaurs Category:Reptiles Category:Dinosaurs of South America Category:Prehistoric reptiles of South America Category:Prehistoric Life Category:Ceratosaurs Category:Late Cretaceous Category:Diapsid Reptiles Category:Cretaceous reptiles Category:Cretaceous theropods Category:Argentina Dinosaurs Category:Dinosaurs Category:Carnosaurs Category:Small Carnivores Category:Abelisauridae Category:Extinct animals of South America Category:Theropods Category:Theropoda Category:Taxa named by Rodolfo Coria Category:Fossil taxa described in 2002 Category:Dinosaur Planet creatures